Thursday, June 10, 2010

Press Conference with David Powell's Attorney and Family Members at Texas Capitol Wednesday June 9 at Noon

Richard Burr, the attorney for David Powell, and members of Powell’s family will hold a press conference in the Speaker's Committee Room at the Texas Capitol (CAP 2W.6) at noon on Wednesday June 9. David Powell is scheduled for execution June 15, 2010.

It is clear that where we have arrived with the fate of David Powell, and his looming execution, is not what the State, the community, or the Police had in mind in 1978 when David Powell was sentenced to death for the murder of Officer Ralph Ablanedo. In the numerous articles and internet postings about the case, it is also clear that the people of Travis County and of Texas are not settled with the idea of executing him now.

In the Statesman article, Bruce & Judy Mills stated that they did not expect closure, or satisfaction from this, and that it was a day when “Nobody wins”. They just want the legal process to be over. Is killing David Powell the only way to make this “over”? And will killing Powell really end it, or just cause yet another scar on the community that has been trying to heal from this terrible murder 32 years ago? We submit to Travis County: Will we tolerate the killing of David Powell just to make the criminal justice system stop torturing everyone involved? Is that who we are?

After 32 years on death row, with no history of violence before or after the crime, a lifetime of productive and contributive behavior, much of the public, even members of the Austin Police, are sickened by the idea of the execution of an old man, clearly not the meth-psychotic creature David Powell was in 1978. He has not claimed redemption, but he has lived a consistently redemptive life.

The prediction that David would be dangerous in the future was inaccurate, says Burr. “David’s record of the past 30 years proves [that] conclusively. This means that his death sentence is unconstitutional, because the finding of future dangerousness was necessary for him to be sentenced to death.”